Fire Services: Radio

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on the specification of the FireLink project; and what recent consultation she has held with relevant staff and trade unions.

Angela Smith: The specification of the Firelink project was determined in advance of the contract being awarded in March 2006, and installation of the infrastructure for Firelink has commenced. Representative bodies sit on the Firelink Stakeholder Group which last met on 29 March 2007.

Housing

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of households in the UK are living in  (a) boats,  (b) caravans or camper vans,  (c) tents and  (d) makeshift accommodation; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: Information is not held centrally identifying households in these categories.
	Counts of Gypsy and Traveller caravans in England are available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/586/TablelCountofGypsyandTravellercaravansonl8January2007 Lastfivecounts_idl153586.xls
	Counts of Gypsy and Traveller caravans in Wales are available at:
	http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/statistics/headlines/housing-2007/hdw200704111/?lang=en
	The 2001 Census identified 93,844 households in England and Wales living in a caravan or other mobile or temporary structure, in an unshared dwelling.

Non-Domestic Rates: Agriculture

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 8 May 2007,  Official Report, column 129W, on non-domestic rates: agriculture, whether she plans to review the exemption from business rates for agricultural land and agricultural buildings under Schedule 5 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988.

Phil Woolas: The exemption of agricultural land and buildings will be considered as part of the wider review of non-domestic rate reliefs and exemptions announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget statement on 21 March.

Tetra: Health Hazards

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research her Department has carried out into the potential long-term health implications of using  (a) hand-held radio schemes using the Tetra system and  (b) vehicles fitted with Tetra masts and radios.

Angela Smith: Government commissioned a comprehensive programme of research following the Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation report published in July 2001. The main conclusion of this research is that Tetra technology is unlikely to present a risk to health. Imperial College is continuing with a long-term health monitoring study of police users of Tetra technology.
	Communities and Local Government is commissioning work to consider if any aspects of the introduction of Tetra in a Fire and Rescue Service environment need further consideration.

Village Halls: Conservation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what support she plans to make available for the protection and enhancement of village halls following her recent announcement on community assets.

Phil Woolas: The independent Quirk Review of community management and ownership of public assets, published by Communities and Local Government on 15 May, was primarily concerned with removing barriers to the transfer of surplus public assets to communities.
	The majority of village halls are in fact already in the management or ownership of community-led committees, and while recognising the enormous contribution they make to the well-being of their communities, the government believes that their primary sources of revenue support should be their users and other local funding sources.
	Continuing practical advice and help is available to village hall management committees from Village Hall Advisors employed by Rural Community Councils, which are supported through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' Rural Social and Community Programme.

Arts: Finance

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) funded organisations and  (b) project to project grants will be affected by the reduction in Arts Council England forecast funding.

David Lammy: No decision has yet been taken by Arts Council England on their future lottery budgets.
	Decisions about grant in aid for Arts Council England will be taken as part of the comprehensive spending review later this year.

Charities: Public Expenditure

Denis MacShane: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much Government funding was allocated to third sector organisations for the delivery of public services in  (a) education and  (b) health in each year since 2005.

Hilary Armstrong: On figures for 2005 and later years, no figures are currently available. Figures for 2004-05 are currently being compiled on expenditure by central Government Departments allocated to the third sector for the delivery of public services. These figures will be made available later this year.
	Figures for 2003-04 indicate that in education, spending allocated to the third sector for the delivery of education services by central Government Departments amounted to £221 million and that allocated by local government amounted to £1,454 million.
	Figures for 2003-04 indicate that spending on health-related activity in the third sector by central Government Departments amounted to £26 million. These figures do not include spending by the national health service. A separate estimate, produced externally for the Department of Health, suggested that in 2004-05 third sector organisations in England received around £1.1 billion from the NHS, including through trusts and PCTs, for the delivery of health care services.

Higher Education Admissions

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment he has made of trends in higher education admissions; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The latest figures published by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) show that students from England applying for entry in 2007 are up by 6 per cent. compared to last year. They have also exceeded the large increase in 2005, meaning we are now seeing the largest ever numbers applying for higher education at this point in the application cycle. The small downturn we saw last year, which we always anticipated, has been strongly reversed this year. I am also pleased to see that there has been a slight increase in the proportion of applicants from the lower socio-economic groups. These highest ever figures show that tuition fees are not putting students off applying to university as many predicted. The critics of the new system are being proved emphatically wrong.

Adult Education

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on adult education.

Phil Hope: We are spending more on adult learning than ever before, with over £3 billion in 2007-08 invested through the LSC.
	Our priority is to help low skilled adults with 1 million more adults now with essential employability skills and more than 1.6 million having gained Skills for Life qualifications. Lord Leitch's Review recommended an ambition that the UK becomes world class in skills by 2020. We accept that ambition and will publish our response shortly.

Adult Education: Liverpool

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of adult education in Liverpool.

Phil Hope: We have increased investment in further education by 48 per cent. in real terms between 1997-98 and 2005-06. Spending on adult learning will continue to increase with over £3 billion in 2007-08, up 7 per cent. on 2005-06.
	Our funding priorities have been clearly set out in the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) 'Annual Statement of Priorities—Raising our Game' for 2007-08
	(www.lsc.gov.uk/Aboutus/LSCStrategy/AnnualStatementofPriorities/).
	In Liverpool, as elsewhere in England, we are focusing public funding on helping those who need it most. This prioritises those without the basic and Level 2 skills for employment and further progression in learning while protecting provision for those with learning difficulties and disabilities as well as community learning. We will also develop new progression pathways that focus explicitly on the skills and learning needed for progression from Entry levels and Level 1 to a full Level 2 qualification. These local circumstances as well as the national priorities will be taken into account by the LSC when planning provision in consultation with local partners.
	The Department does not hold information at local or regional levels. Mark Haysom, the Learning and Skills Council's chief executive will write to my hon. Friend with the information about adult education in Liverpool and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what funding was allocated to Sure Start, child care and early years in each of the last three financial years;
	(2)  what total funding for Sure Start, child care and early years will be in each of the next three financial years;
	(3)  what representations he has received on the implications of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review for Sure Start, child care and early years funding.

Beverley Hughes: The funding allocated to Sure Start, child care and early years in each of the last three financial years is shown in the table.
	
		
			   £000 
			 2004-05 1,065,707 
			 2005-06 1,321,504 
			 2006-07 1,539,567 
			 So urce: DfES supply estimates 
		
	
	In addition, Government invests some £3 billion each year in the delivery of the free entitlement to nursery education for three and four-year-olds. Funding is provided to local authorities through the dedicated schools grant.
	The Department received its CSR settlement for 2008-11 in the 2007 Budget. Announcements about specific allocations will be made over the coming months.
	The Department has had many discussions with a wide range of stakeholders during preparations for and the run up to the Comprehensive Spending Review and will continue to do so as allocations are finalised.

Schools: Drugs

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to improve drugs education in schools.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department's guidance, "Drugs: Guidance for Schools (DfES 2004)" outlines schools' responsibilities in this area and the issues to be covered in drug education across all of the four key stages, Ofsted tell us that the standard of drug education continues to improve.
	However, the Government will continue their fight against drugs and intends to consult later this year on proposals for a new drug strategy to be introduced from 2008. Education will be considered as a fundamental part of this wider process.

VALPAK

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether his Department monitors how VALPAK uses its licence fee income from the use of the Green Dot trademark;
	(2)  for what reasons the decision was taken to authorise VALPAK to charge a licence fee for the use of the Green Dot trademark;
	(3)  how his Department monitors the use of the Green Dot trademark to ensure that products bearing the trademark uphold the environmental obligations associated with the logo.

Ben Bradshaw: Currently, the Green Dot Licensing Company (a subsidiary of Valpak) is vested with the task of managing the Green Dot trademark in the UK. The Green Dot Licensing Company administers Green Dot licences in the UK on behalf of the licence-holder, Pro-Europe and this decision was made by Pro-Europe rather than the UK Government.
	Valpak, as part of the agreement with Pro-Europe, are required to manage the Green Dot registered trademark according to English trademark laws. This includes the policing of its use, granting "User Agreements"', ensuring the integrity of the mark is protected and that it is not used in a misleading fashion or in derogation of its meaning in any way.
	Valpak operates the Green Dot Licensing Company on a non-profit making basis and charges a flat licence fee. The licence fee reflects Valpak's operating costs and these will depend on the number of Green Dot users; the more users, the lower the fee. The costs are purely operating costs which will be charged back to those companies using the Green Dot logo.

Saudi Arabia: Terrorism

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 1481-2W, on Saudi Arabia: Terrorism, if she will list the Saudi Arabian based charities on the UN Consolidated List with respect to Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, the Taliban and other individuals, groups and entities associated with them; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Consolidated List, established and maintained by the Security Council's UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1267 sanctions Committee and last updated on 8 June, currently lists two Saudi Arabian based charities associated with Al-Qaeda. These are:
	The Benevolence International Foundation listed on 21 November 2002 (updated on 24 January 2004) and which is shown to have had branches in Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia; and
	the Wafa Humanitarian Organisation listed on 6 October 2001 and shown to have a presence in Saudi Arabia.
	The list also designates various international branches of the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation. The original Foundation, based previously in Riyadh, was dissolved by the Saudi Arabian government in June 2004 and its assets taken over by the Saudi National Commission for Relief and Charity Work Abroad. The Saudi Arabian government has said that the National Commission, described as a non-governmental body, has now assumed responsibility in the Kingdom for all private overseas aid including the distribution of Saudi private charitable donations.
	The United Kingdom is obliged to uphold UNSCR 1267 listings and to impose a corresponding assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo. These financial sanctions are administered by the Bank of England, acting as agents for HM Treasury.

Doctors: Training

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse has been arising from legal action in relation to the medical training application service, broken down by main budget heading.

Rosie Winterton: There have been no legal challenges against the Medical Training Application Service. Remedy UK Limited brought an unsuccessful legal challenge against the Department, the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board, the Conference of Postgraduate Medical Deans of the United Kingdom, the British Medical Association and the National Association of Clinical Tutors in relation to the changes made to specialty training recruitment as a result of the Douglas Review. The costs to the Department of this challenge are currently being assessed.

Elderly: Social Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health to what extent the rate of ageing of a population is taken into account when calculating adult social care budgets; and what proportion of  (a) over 65 and  (b) over 85 years olds must be present in a population for a local authority to receive additional funding.

Ivan Lewis: Local authority funding for social services is derived from a variety of sources both from within central Government and also determined locally (via council tax, fees and charges).
	It is for individual local authorities to manage and direct their own resources in accordance with local priorities and the needs of the communities to which they are accountable.
	Central funding for adult social care is via formula grant (via Department for Communities and Local Government) which is not hypothecated and specific grants from the Department.
	Formula grant is allocated using relative needs formula (RNF) which does include a factor for the number of older people. The RNF are mathematical formulae that include information on population, social structure and other characteristics of each authority. For social care, there are separate formulae for older people (aged 65 and over) and younger adults (aged 18 to 65). The older people's formula also includes an age top-up for those aged 90 and over (as a proportion of the older people population), which takes into account the higher needs of those of very advanced age This age top-up is calculated as part of the econometric analysis carried out in an academic research project in 2005. There is, however, no set proportion of older people which leads to 'additional funding'.
	The Government (in consultation with local government) have developed separate formulae to cover the major service areas, because there are different factors influencing each service area. The funding blocks for service areas are; children's services, adults' personal services, police, fire, highway maintenance and environmental, protective and cultural services. These formulae apply to all local authorities providing particular services.
	The formula for each specific service area is built on a basic amount per client, plus additional top ups to reflect local circumstances. The top ups take account of a number of local factors that affect service costs, but the biggest factors are deprivation and area costs.
	Relative needs are designed to reflect the relative needs of individual authorities in providing services. They are not intended to measure the actual amount needed by any authority to provide local services but simply to recognise the various factors which affect local authorities' costs locally.
	The arrangements for allocating specific grants vary, some schemes use formulae grant; others allocate funds on the basis of appraisal of bids.

Muscular Dystrophy: Drugs

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2006,  Official Report, column 554W, on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, what recent assessment has been made of progress of research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy administered by LGC Ltd; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of exon skipping as a potential therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy;
	(3)  what plans her Department has to trial the drug losartan for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Caroline Flint: The £1.6 million, four-year programme (2005-08) of research towards a phase 1 clinical trial for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) that the Department has been supporting is administered through the company LGC Ltd. Progress is assessed through quarterly reports, and site visits by LGC Ltd. The programme started in January 2005.
	My noble Friend the Minister of State for Health (Lord Hunt) met with representatives from the DMD research team on 15 March. The MDEX Consortium research and clinical trial is progressing well, with the first patient due to receive the first dose of the experimental molecule within the next few months. According to the group's latest report of April 2007, ethical approval for the phase 1 clinical trial is in place and regulatory approvals are expected to be given soon. The clinical trial is predicted to take place through to the end of 2008.
	Research in the United States has demonstrated that losartan may improve muscle regeneration in mice with DMD. We are not aware of any human clinical trials organised in the United Kingdom.

NHS Treatment Centres: Newcastle

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much has been paid to Care UK for the NHS walk-in centre at Jury's Inn, Newcastle; what the reasons were for the delay in opening the centre; what costs were incurred during the delay; when the days of opening were extended to include Sundays; and what consideration is being given to an extension of opening hours after 7 p.m;
	(2)  which trust or organisation in the NHS  (a) determined the cost and service standards of the NHS Walk-in centre at Jury's Inn, Newcastle and  (b) is responsible for monitoring the contract; and how long the contract with Care UK for the NHS walk-in centre has to run.

Andy Burnham: The Newcastle Central NHS Walk-in centre at Jury's Inn is one of seven centres commissioned by the Department to provide health services which address the needs of the working population. Care UK is the provider under a contract that runs until 30 April 2011. The amount payable under this contract is commercially confidential. The centre opened on 17 May 2006, two weeks later than scheduled due to an issue with the electrical power source. No costs were incurred during this period. The centre is open 7 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday and although the Department, the provider and the primary care trust are discussing options for extending opening hours, no decision has been taken.

NHS: ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her statement that the NHS IT programme is the largest civilian IT programme in the world, which non-civilian IT programmes are larger; and which civilian IT programme is nearest in size to the NHS IT programme.

Caroline Flint: Although formal research has not been conducted, we are not aware of any publicised IT programme in the world that services 1.3 million staff with what is said by suppliers to be the largest virtual private network and largest single email service that underpins the complex technology to support electronic booking, electronic prescriptions, digital imaging and an electronic care record for 50 million patients. It: is not known what the second largest civilian programme would be and it would be a disproportionate cost to the taxpayer to find out. Non-civilian IT programmes tend not to publicise their details.

Art Works

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the Works of Art Committee acquisition budget is for 2007-08.

Nick Harvey: The total income of the acquisition budget for 2007-08 is £188,124.68. This is made up of the vote for the financial year of £72,500, plus a carry-over from the previous financial year of £115,624.68. The carry-over arose from underspend in 2003-04 and 2004-05, when few works of art became available which fitted the Committee's acquisition aims. A large proportion of it has already been committed to projects begun in the last financial year, including purchases made at the auction of the collection of the late Lord Stratford and portrait commissions.

Lifts

David Laws: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what plans are being made to repair the lifts in 1 Parliament Street; and how often all of these lifts have been working simultaneously over the last two years.

Nick Harvey: The refurbishment of the suite of three lifts in 1 Parliament Street is being undertaken as a two year programme to ensure that at least one of the lifts is always available. In the first year (2006) one of the lifts was repaired and provisional wiring for the other two took place. During this summer recess the other two lift cars and doors will be renewed and at the end of the recess all three lifts will be in full service.
	Other than during the summer recess, all three lifts have been in normal operation except between February and April. During that period, one lift at a time was taken out of operation to improve the controls which enable them to work together. This task was due to be done in the summer recess 2007 but was brought forward in view of complaints from Members. Since April there have been other breakdowns which on one occasion put two of three lifts out of action for one Tuesday afternoon and overnight before they were repaired.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has for the provision of aid to the people of Gaza.

Douglas Alexander: On 19 June my right hon. Friend the former Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn) announced a contribution of £1 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for immediate humanitarian needs in Gaza and the West Bank. ICRC has delivered medical supplies, repatriated bodies, evacuated medical cases and helped the Palestinian Red Crescent to deliver blood supplies in Gaza. It has also helped the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to deliver food aid.
	UNRWA provides food aid to 850,000 Palestinian refugees in Gaza, along with other essential services. With ICRC, UNRWA is assisting the 250 people trapped at the Erez crossing. DFID has provided £15.6 million through UNRWA this year for its operations in Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East.
	Through the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM), the European Union is providing fuel to ensure the continued operation of electricity, water and sanitation services in Gaza, supporting front line health services and providing allowances for government workers, pensioners and other needy Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. DFID has provided £15 million through the TIM so far.
	The European Community (EC) is providing €9.8 million through the World Health Organisation, €6 million for UNRWA's food programme, and €9 million through the World Food Programme for the West Bank and Gaza. This is in addition to the European Community's contribution to UNRWA's core fund of €66 million this year. The UK contributes about 17 per cent. of EC assistance.
	The key humanitarian issue in Gaza at this time is access. 104 containers of UNRWA supplies await transit to Gaza through the Kami crossing. Without regular and reliable access for aid supplies and privately traded goods it will not be possible for Gaza's 1.3 million people to meet their basic needs.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Frank Field: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many foreign national prisoners were imprisoned at the latest available date, broken down by  (a) European Union nationals,  (b) non-European Union nationals and  (c) other nationals; and what percentage of all prisoners are foreign nationals.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The requested information is contained in the following table.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			  Population in prison by nationality: England and Wales: 30 April 2007 
			  Nationality  Total  Percentage 
			  Population in prison by nationality   
			 All nationalities 80,261 100 
			 UK nationals 68,124 85 
			 Foreign nationals 11,231 14 
			 Not recorded 905 1 
			  Foreign national population in prison   
			 All foreign nationals 11,231 100 
			 European Union nationals 2,441 22 
			 Non-European Union nationals 8,790 78 
			  Sources: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so although shown to the last individual, the figure may not be accurate to that level. 
		
	
	
		
			  Foreign national population in prison by nationality( 1: ) England and Wales 30 April 2007 
			  Nationality  Total 
			  Total Africa 3,254 
			 Angola 84 
			 Burundi less than 50 
			 Dahomey (Benin) less than 50 
			 Botswana less than 50 
			 Ivory Coast less than 50 
			 Central African Republic less than 50 
			 Congo 111 
			 Cameroon, United Republic less than 50 
			 Cape Verde less than 50 
			 Algeria 193 
			 Egypt less than 50 
			 Ethiopia less than 50 
			 Ghana 207 
			 Gambia less than 50 
			 Guinea less than 50 
			 Equatorial Guinea less than 50 
			 Guinea/Bissau less than 50 
			 Kenya 64 
			 Liberia less than 50 
			 Libya less than 50 
			 Morocco 50 
			 Mali less than 50 
			 Mauritania less than 50 
			 Mauritius less than 50 
			 Malawi less than 50 
			 Mozambique less than 50 
			 Namibia less than 50 
			 Niger less than 50 
			 Nigeria 1,061 
			 Rwanda less than 50 
			 Seychelles less than 50 
			 Sudan less than 50 
			 Sierre Leone 97 
			 Senegal less than 50 
			 Somalia 356 
			 Swaziland less than 50 
			 Chad less than 50 
			 Togo less than 50 
			 Tunisia less than 50 
			 Tanzania less than 50 
			 Uganda 95 
			 Western Sahara less than 50 
			 South Africa 210 
			 Zambia less than 50 
			 Congo, Democratic Republic less than 50 
			 Zimbabwe 194 
			  Total Asia 1,872 
			 Bangladesh 167 
			 Burma less than 50 
			 China 312 
			 Hong Kong less than 50 
			 Indonesia less than 50 
			 India 315 
			 Japan less than 50 
			 Korea Republic of (Sth) less than 50 
			 Sri Lanka 169 
			 Mongolia less than 50 
			 Malaysia less than 50 
			 Philippines less than 50 
			 Pakistan 419 
			 Singapore less than 50 
			 Thailand less than 50 
			 East Timor (Portuguese) less than 50 
			 Taiwan (Nationalist Chinese) less than 50 
			 Vietnam 406 
			   
			  Total Central and South America 379 
			 Argentina less than 50 
			 Bolivia less than 50 
			 Brazil 92 
			 Belize less than 50 
			 Chile less than 50 
			 Columbia 124 
			 Costa Rica less than 50 
			 Ecuador less than 50 
			 French Guyana less than 50 
			 Guatemala less than 50 
			 Guyana less than 50 
			 Honduras less than 50 
			 Mexico less than 50 
			 Panama less than 50 
			 Peru less than 50 
			 Paraguay less than 50 
			 Surinam less than 50 
			 El Salvador less than 50 
			 Venezuela less than 50 
			   
			  Total Europe 3,135 
			 EU countries 2,441 
			 Austria less than 50 
			 Belgium less than 50 
			 Bulgaria less than 50 
			 Cyprus 50 
			 Czech Republic less than 50 
			 Denmark less than 50 
			 Estonia less than 50 
			 Finland less than 50 
			 France 170 
			 Germany 129 
			 Greece less than 50 
			 Hungary less than 50 
			 Irish Republic 653 
			 Italy 106 
			 Latvia less than 50 
			 Lithuania 191 
			 Malta less than 50 
			 Netherlands 132 
			 Poland 312 
			 Portugal 183 
			 Romania 150 
			 Slovakia less than 50 
			 Slovenia less than 50 
			 Spain 67 
			 Sweden less than 50 
			   
			  Non EU European countries 694 
			 Albania 148 
			 Armenia less than 50 
			 Azerbijan less than 50 
			 Bosnia-Hercegovina less than 50 
			 Croatia less than 50 
			 Switzerland less than 50 
			 Georgia less than 50 
			 Gibraltar less than 50 
			 Kazakhstan less than 50 
			 Kyrgystan less than 50 
			 Moldova less than 50 
			 Macedonia less than 50 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 94 
			 Norway less than 50 
			 San Marino less than 50 
			 Russia 113 
			 Turkey 225 
			 Uzbekistan less than 50 
			   
			  Total Middle East 669 
			 United Arab Emirates less than 50 
			 Afghanistan 95 
			 Bahrain less than 50 
			 Iran 194 
			 Israel less than 50 
			 Iraq 264 
			 Jordan less than 50 
			 Kuwait less than 50 
			 Lebanon less than 50 
			 Oman less than 50 
			 Qatar less than 50 
			 Saudi Arabia less than 50 
			 Syrian Arab Republic less than 50 
			 Yemen, Republic of less than 50 
			   
			  Total North America 130 
			 Canada less than 50 
			 United States of America 103 
			   
			  Total Oceania 51 
			 Australia less than 50 
			 Fiji less than 50 
			 French Southern Territories less than 50 
			 Kiribati less than 50 
			 New Zealand less than 50 
			 Papua New Guinea less than 50 
			   
			  Total Other 8 
			   
			  West Indies 1,733 
			 Aruba less than 50 
			 Anguilla less than 50 
			 Netherlands Antilles less than 50 
			 Barbados less than 50 
			 Bermuda less than 50 
			 Bahamas less than 50 
			 Cuba less than 50 
			 Dominica less than 50 
			 Dominican Republic less than 50 
			 Grenada less than 50 
			 Haiti less than 50 
			 Jamaica 1,464 
			 St Lucia less than 50 
			 Montserrat less than 50 
			 St Christopher & Nevis less than 50 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 91 
			 St Vincent & The Grenadines less than 50 
			  Note: For reasons of confidentiality and data integrity numbers under 50 are not shown  Sources: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so although shown to the last individual, the figure may not be accurate to that level.

Media Reporting: Criminal Cases

Kevan Jones: To ask the Solicitor-General what his policy is on enforcement of the contempt laws on media reporting of criminal cases.

The Solicitor-General: I refer to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stourbridge (Lynda Waltho) on 28 June 2007, but I should stress that the Law Officers will not hesitate to enforce the Contempt of Court Act where coverage of active proceedings creates a substantial risk that the course of justice in those proceedings could be, or has already been, seriously prejudiced. This extends to interference with pending criminal investigations, if there has already been an arrest.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Prosecutions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Solicitor-General how many prosecutions the Crown Prosecution Service has instigated for breaches of criminal anti-social behaviour orders since 2004.

The Solicitor-General: Crown Prosecution Service records include the number of prosecutions for breach of an antisocial behaviour order under sl(10) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, but do not differentiate between prosecutions relating to criminal and non-criminal orders.
	Complete records are held for the last two financial years, showing that the number of prosecutions under this legislation which reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, or were entered on indictments in the crown court, was as follows:
	
		
			   Magistrates courts  Crown court 
			 2005-06 13,436 2,110 
			 2006-07 13,475 2,406

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Solicitor-General what properties the Law Officers' Departments has  (a) owned and  (b) rented in each of the last five years.

The Solicitor-General: The Treasury Solicitor's Department owned Queen Anne's Chambers in London SW1 for the financial years spanning 2002 to 2006. They then sold it, as referred to in my reply to question 13909. They have rented 1 Kemble Street in London WC2 since 2005-06, to date. Riverside Chambers, Taunton, Somerset was leased by the Department in 1991 and is now let to various public sector tenants.
	None of the other Law Officers' Departments owns any properties. The Serious Fraud Office have rented Elm House, London WC1 throughout the period. The SFO rented fourth floor of Verulam Gardens, London WC1 from 2003-04 to 2006-07, and the fifth floor of the same building from 2004-05 to 2006-07. They rented the first and fifth floors of 200 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1 from 2005-06 to date.
	The Attorney-General's Office AGO rented 8-9 Buckingham Gate, London SW1 throughout the period, and began renting 20 Victoria Street, London SW1 towards the end of the financial year 2006-07, prior to their move their in May 2007.
	Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate have rented numbers 26 and 28 Old Queen Street, London SW1 throughout this period.
	The Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office, since its inception in April 2005, it has occupied space under a Memorandum of Terms of Occupation agreed with HM Revenue and Customs in Ralli Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester and new Kings Beam House, London SE1.
	The CPS breakdown is in the following table and a comprehensive list of the buildings has been placed in the Library.
	
		
			   Owned  Rented 
			 2002-03 4 88 
			 2003-04 4 91 
			 2004-05 4 92 
			 2005-06 4 89 
			 2006-07 3 86

Nuclear Power Stations: Sussex

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department plans to carry out a consultation in Sussex on the feasibility of locating new nuclear power stations in the county.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 14 June 2007
	 Any new nuclear power stations would be built by the private sector but no decisions would be taken on any potential location for a new nuclear power station pending the carrying out of a full strategic siting assessment (SSA). DTI is currently consulting on a proposed SSA process, which would be implementing if the Government confirm their preliminary view that it is in the public interest to allow energy companies the option of investing in new nuclear power stations. The proposed SSA process would include a public consultation on draft SSA criteria, and a further public consultation on a draft list of locations judged to have met this criteria.
	In advance of such an SSA being carried out, and subject to the outcome of the Government's consultation on the future of nuclear power, DTI has no plans to consult on the feasibility of locating new nuclear power stations in any particular geographical area. However, any proposed locations for new nuclear power stations emerging from an SSA would be the subject of local consultation through the planning process.

Bus Services: Standards

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of the bus fleet received an unannounced inspection allocated on a random basis by the Traffic Commissioners in each of the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) conduct unannounced inspections on bus fleets. It does not record the proportion of these requested by the Traffic Commissioners as opposed to other enforcement work.
	The results of spot checks by VOSA where operator based are published annually in its Effectiveness Report. This is available on-line at: www.vosa.gov.uk or in the House of Commons Library, Business and Transport Section.

Bus Services: Standards

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many buses were inspected by VOSA officials in each of the last five years; and how many such buses were consequently subject to an  (a) immediate and  (b) delayed prohibition notice.

Stephen Ladyman: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) publish statistics on bus inspections, immediate and delayed prohibition notices annually in its Effectiveness Report. This is available on-line at www.vosa.gov.uk or from the House of Commons Library, Business and Transport Section.

Cycling: Helmets

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to promote the wearing of cycle helmets by  (a) children,  (b) teenagers and  (c) the general population.

Stephen Ladyman: For children the Department has set up the "Hedgehogs" website www.hedgehogs.gov.uk and publishes "Arrive Alive" (A Highway Code for young road users).
	For teenagers the Department has set up the "Cycle Sense" safety campaign encouraging teenagers to wear helmets. The campaign consists of a series of posters, a website www.cvclesense.co.uk and a supporting TV filler film. At the end of February Think! launched a new teen road safety campaign with MTV. This will include an advertisement on cycling safety encouraging helmet wearing and will air on MTV channels week commencing 16 July.
	For adults and the general cycling population the Driving Standards Agency publishes The Highway Code which encourages all cyclists to wear a helmet.

Departments: Freedom of Information

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who he has designated as responsible for the management of inquiries under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 from  (a) hon. Members and  (b) other sources.

Gillian Merron: The Department has exactly the same arrangements and process for deciding what information is to be disclosed and what is exempt from disclosure under the FOI Act, whether the FOI request comes from an hon. Member or any other person.
	Decisions on exemptions are made by officials, except in the case of exemptions under Section 36 where a Minister is the 'qualified person' as defined by the Act. This applies irrespective of who makes the request.
	In the department all requests for information under the FOI regime are handled by the area responsible for the subject matter.
	The responses come from different people, depending on whether the request is from an hon. Member, the media, or someone else. Responses to requests from an hon. Member are made by a Minister. In other cases, the response is made by an appropriate official. For requests from the media, the response is sent by a press officer. Where the applicant is from the legal profession, it is sent by a legal adviser. In all cases, responses are approved by the responsible member of the Senior Civil Service in the department.

Public Transport: Gosport

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are for improvements in access to the Gosport peninsula.

Gillian Merron: Improvements to the local transport network are the responsibility of Hampshire county council.
	Access to and within the Gosport peninsula has been considered by the council in its second Local Transport Plan. This sets out the county's transport strategy until 2011, and allocates some £4 million towards schemes to address congestion and access issues on the Gosport peninsula. These include a series of junction improvements on the A32 and B3385 corridor, as well as improvements to public transport.
	In addition the local authorities in the Solent area are working together developing transport strategies to improve access to Southampton, Portsmouth, and the wider area. With the help of Government funding they are starting work on three studies, one of which, entitled access to South East Hampshire, sets out to identify appropriate interventions to address key bottlenecks on transport networks in and around the Gosport peninsula.

Railways

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many locomotives in use on the rail network are older than 10 years old.

Tom Harris: The following table gives details of the locomotives used by UK franchised passenger train operators, broken down by train operating company and class. Not included are vehicles operated by Scotrail (for which the Transport Scotland is responsible) and non-franchised operators such as Network Rail, open access and charter operators. Information on the number of freight vehicles used on the network is not held by the Department.
	This information is based on latest available data but variations in the figures can be expected due to short-term vehicle hiring, introduction of new fleets and withdrawal of older vehicles and cascades.
	The locomotives shown in Table 1 were all manufactured more than 10 years ago but most have been substantially modified or re-engined since that time.
	
		
			  Table 1: Locomotives 
			  Train operating company  Class  More than 10 years old?  Number of vehicles 
			 First Great Western 43 Yes 117 
			 First Great Western 57 Yes 4 
			 Gatwick Express 73 Yes 1 
			 GNER 91 Yes 31 
			 GNER 43 Yes 32 
			 One 90 Yes 15 
			 One 86 Yes 3 
			 Midland Mainline 43 Yes 31 
			 Virgin West Coast 57 Yes 16

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many instances there have been of debt caused by overpayment of tax credits being  (a) generated and  (b) subsequently cancelled, broken down by (i) constituency or (ii) nearest equivalent geographical area in the last year for which figures are available; and how much was (A) generated and (B) cancelled in each such area in the same period.

Dawn Primarolo: Statistical information relating to working tax credit and child tax credit is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	Information about overpayments of tax credits, which HM Revenue and Customs decide claimants should not be asked to pay back in accordance with its Code of Practice 26, is not kept at constituency or regional-level.

Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what means a woman whose husband reaches 65 years is advised of her right to claim a pension based on his contributions to replace the pension she is drawing based on her own contributions.

James Purnell: The Pension Service contacts customers four months before they reach state pension age to invite them to claim state pension by telephone.
	Over the phone they are asked to provide their marital status and, if appropriate, the national insurance number of their spouse. If the man is married and his wife is over state pension age and in receipt of a basic state pension based on her own contributions but which is less than the rate of pension based on her husband's contributions, a claim form is issued to her.
	If customers who wish to claim by post, they are asked to complete and return a tear-off slip from the invitation to request a claim pack. The tear off asks men "Is your wife aged 60 or over?" If the customer ticks "yes", a claim form is also sent out to their wife.